Why do things so often get grouped up into seven in this world? Have you ever noticed that? Not to say that the number actually occurs more than other numbers, but in the sense of the way we tend to see, group, and categorize things. When we think about our common use and grouping of things, seven seems to have a significance, dare I say, even something sacred about it. It happens with really big things too, like the seven continents of the world, the seven seas, seven openings or cavities in the human face, seven colors in the rainbow or visible spectrum of light that we can see, and almost all mammals have seven cervical vertebrae. These are things we cannot seem to change very much, but what is equally interesting is that there are also many things that we as human beings have intentionally perceived or classified as being seven in type or quality, when we could probably have divided them into other numbers if we wanted to.

Let me give some examples:

There are seven notes on the musical diatonic scale, but other ways of dividing the notes up have also been created. But this is a very popular one, probably the most popular.

We have this idea in folklore of many different cultures (including American/European and Indian) of seven years of bad luck coming to someone for various reasons.

There are said to be seven deadly sins.

There are seven wonders of the ancient world.

There are said to be seven heavens in Islam and many, many other philosophies as well as occult systems of knowledge.

Seven horizontal rows are in the periodic table.

According to the Baltimore classification, there are seven types of viruses.

Seven is the neutral ph value between acidity and alkalinity.

The Bible is overflowing with a sacramental implication of the number seven, the most commonly known being the beginning part wherein the Earth was created in seven days (it also clearly mentions the creation of the “heavenly bodies” for “Signs and seasons”, aka Astrology, by the way).

There are seven temples in the Book of Revelations (Which Edgar Cayce also revealed to each relate to a certain chakra and the sins most associated with that chakra/state of consciousness.)

Seven is the sum of any two opposite sides of dice.

In India there is the Sapta Rishis, or the Seven Sages.

There are also the Seven Sages of Greece.

There are seven main chakras in Yogic philosophy, also seven according to psychic Edgar Cayce.

We have seven days of the week, which is so ancient that we actually do not know where this originated. The Norse had a seven day week which is where our English names of Friday (Freya/Venus day) and Thursday (Thors/Jupiters day), and Wednesday (Odin/Mercury day). The ancient Indians also had a seven day week, which makes one wonder if any other cultures of antiquity also had this tradition.

There are probably many more classifications of seven in number that I am not recalling, but I feel this has made a strong enough case as these are big parts of our human life. Also you will notice that fiction writers love to use the number seven in their fiction works, simply google the number seven and you will see one after another fantasy book that has something to do with “Seven gemstones of power” or what have you. A modern example of this can be seen in the hugely popular Game of Thrones HBO series, which is based on fiction books. It takes place in a medieval Europe (Kali Yuga-style) fantasy realm and their is of course an emphasis put on the “Seven Kingdoms of Westeros”, which is where the majority of the story takes place. There are also many different faiths throughout the kingdoms but the most popular faith is the “Faith of the Seven”, interestingly enough. Obviously this is influenced from the actual medieval European times when the seven planets were worshipped as deities. It is also made very clear that “The Seven” is one deity, that manifests itself into seven aspects. This is identical with European and Indian style Astrology. { NOTE: Many people still think that Hinduism is polytheistic (believing in many Gods) but if they actually researched it they would learn quickly that it is monotheistic. Hindus acknowledge only one God, but with many different names, aspects, and forms. This is like how there is just one Sun that lights the world, but it can be seen to appear differently depending on where one is on the world, at sunrise, sunset, or midday. We don’t say that there is a different Sun at sunset, even though it may look different than the mid day Sun, with its bright red and orange shades. In the same way, Brahma is the same as Vishnu, and Vishnu is the same as Shiva. } Also even the seven different deities are pretty much the same in this fictional series as they actually are in Astrology, which may have been intentional or not on the part of the writer, but because these archetypes are so prominent in our consciousness, I would not be surprised if the Author of these stories just thought them up himself. (Read the descriptions of “The Seven” here and see for yourself)

Why is this the case? Why does the number seven keep coming up? Could it be that there is something within the human psychology and the way that we are designed that makes us see things in terms of seven? Well, the reason I am bringing all this up is because it is very peculiar in the light of the Jyotish philosophy of India. In Jyotish/Vedic Astrology philosophy, all things that exist on Earth are “produced” by the seven planets that we can see with the naked eye, and can, in a sense, see us. And so there are seven basic states of consciousness, that when mixed, produce all the varied forms and types of consciousness on Earth. Each of the visible planets relate to one of these states of consciousness, and each state is an aspect of the divine. Each planet is a “karaka”, which literally means a “producer” of various things in your life. Based on one’s past life karma, one will incarnate with these various producers in the proper harmony to produce or not produce the life that this soul needs to have for its own development and growth beyond just this one life.

So now we can see that this number seven coming up so much is really a reflection of the seven planets and how they mix and create life on Earth as it appears to be. It validates Astrology, that we have seven of most things, either uncontrollably, or by our own arbitrary intellectual divisions.

To see how this works, let us take the human body as an example:

The Sun produces the bones and the immune system, which are one system in the context of astrological truth, but not current medical books. This is because the immune system relies on the mineral supply stored within the bones to regulate the health of the body. So in a birth chart, a weak Sun in the rasi chart and the D30 (trimsamsa) chart can indicate that one does not have a lot of strength in the bones and may have low mineral density, or low mineral absorption, and should eat a mineral rich diet to balance this. A strong Sun person can eat a lot poorer quality food before there bones start to suffer, because they will tend to have better mineral reserves overall. Strong Sun/Leo people tend to eat a lot of meat and even though meat always leaves a toxic residue on the body, these people can handle that more efficiently than others, and they also have a stronger Agni to burn off these toxins as well.

The Moon produces the blood of the body, the ocean within the body. A weak or afflicted Moon means that one will need to be more mindful of foods that dirty the blood, because this will happen more easily for them if they eat poor foods. They may also have emotional issues as well as a result of having not the best blood quality. They may need to avoid table salt in favor of good quality sea salt, and add an extra amount of the healthy salty tastes like lettuce. A strong moon person will crave healthier foods for their blood naturally, and will have better blood flow and health overall as a result of having a strong “producer” of blood, a strong moon influence.

Mars produces the nervous system, and the nerve tissue within the body. A weak or afflicted Mars indicates that one has nerve problems. They may get nervous too easily, not what you want in a profession like surgery or war. A strong Mars person can hold the knife steady, and that is why a surgeon usually has a strong Mars “producer” in his chart, producing the healthy nerves needed to do such a job. This is also why someone who isn’t willing to stand up and fight is said to “not have the nerve”.

Mercury produces the cognitive/sense/integumentary system which is to say bluntly that Mercury produces our senses and cognitive ability. A bad mercury means one does not perceive and cognize things accurately. Now we can understand why Mercury is always involved in combinations for mental insanity in the old Indian Texts. A good mercury will be the opposite, and will contribute to rational thinking.

Jupiter produces the endocrine system, an incredibly important system for how one feels and for unfolding the spiritual capacities within us. An afflicted Jupiter means that one does not produce an ideal endocrine system health, and as a result may have hormonal imbalances or other chemical imbalances that interfere with their happiness and emotional health. A strong Jupiter indicates that one has produced a healthy endocrine system and feels good in their own body. It is also noteworthy to mention that in deep meditative states, the endocrine system secretes powerful hormones and antioxidants, that make you very happy, and Jupiter is also the karaka or “producer” of one’s happiness and contentment.

Venus produces the digestive system, and so a weak Venus means one does not absorb nutrients and digest well. This means the body loses its vitality more quickly because it requires more of its own vital energy (Virya, which Venus rules) to digest the food and assimilate it than it should. A strong Venus does the opposite, it helps one absorb and digest well, and leads to a healthy and well built body. This is also why Venus rules rejuvenation, as the health of the digestive system has a big say on whether one will rejuvenate easily or not.

Saturn produces the muscular system of the body. The part of the body that does all the labor, basically. Saturn also produces one’s laborers, servants, and lower level employees, which play the same role but in the context of a business. A weak Saturn shows weak muscles, and so one tends to feel lazier. A strong Saturn shows strong muscles and good lymph and so one will tend to not feel so lazy. A strong Saturn is also associated with accomplishing many deeds in life, and here we can see how that relates on a physical level, to the dignity and strength of the “producer” of the muscles, Saturn. Someone who feels lazy all the time is of course not going to accomplish as much as the opposite type of person.

In this way, the seven grahas mix and produce all things for us, and in accord with our karmas that we are meant to experience in this life. This same idea is the logic behind how we see the good or bad karmas connected to each area of life for a person, and is a fundamental concept for practicing Astrology, both western and eastern. Now we can reflect and see, that it is no surprise that in this world of seven colors, seven seas, and seven continents, that we also have seven visible lights in the sky, guiding us along the path of our Soul in this incarnation.